Language Arts Journal

by Aaryanna Nguyen

Language Arts Journal

by Aaryanna Nguyen

What is Media ?

What is media? Media is the way we socialize through new, advanced technology, and print. Means such as: news, newspaper, radio, television, and the Internet. Nowadays that is how anyone gets information; by using various forms of communication rather than actually socializing with one another. What does it mean to be Media Literate? Media literacy is understanding the 21st century through media outlooks. The media and to be media literate is understanding and raising the right questions to what you are hearing or seeing. The younger generation, I think, would be considered more media literate because of all the slang used in music and T.V. Paparazzi, new anchors, anyone who helps to take part in providing us with any type of information is vital to being media literate. The media is used in means of entertainment, promoting, and just keeping awareness of the things around us such as: local news, national news, celebrity gossip, latest trends, etc. To be media literate you also need to not only understand what is being said or shown, but to analyze it and go beyond to figure out the complex message—unless there really is not one. Understanding news is also being media literate. For example, knowing what is going on politically, able to understand all those political debates and comprehending what is being said is considered being media literate. Media is ways of now connecting the “gap” in our society—locally, worldly, or nationally. We are able to learn so much more now with the upcoming technology.

While reading "Teaching Nuance" it approaches the pros and cons of students learning to be media literate. One con that is stated in the article says that kids look at media literacy as being broad;students are cannot decipher the messages media is actually suggesting. A pro that I read was that it is a good thing we are now using it as a technique for learning , that it is accessible and it "magnifies the possibility of meaningful public integration."

"Understanding the Hype:Media Literacy" was more of an interview type article. In the beginning of the article the author proposes some questions. "What is Media Literacy? What is the purpose? How should we process media messages?"The author also interviews another author,Catherine Gourley, of the book, Media Wizards:A Behind the Scenes Look at Media Manipulations. Gourley then answers all those questions that were in the beginning of the article. She discusses the importance of the media literacy, gives examples of how to teach it , why we should be media literate and so on.